Quillback

Glad to hear you and the boys had a god time! Sounds like the water is still pretty stained, it was like that a week and a half ago when I was last there. I wonder if it is clearing north of Sailboat bridge yet?

We're like drug addicts complaining about geting ripped off by their dealers. As long as we are dependent (addicted) to oil we are going to be subjected to oil spills, price gouging, market manipulation, ethanol, pollution, and dealing with foreign governments that sell us oil. We can fine the heck out of BP, throw all their execs in jail, but other oil companies will step in and fill the vacumn. New issues caused by oil consumption will occur in the future, guaranteed, no doubt about it, as long as we and the rest of the world continue to burn oil at the rate we are burning it now. Not that I'm "Holier than Thou", I burn gas with the best of them.

Just got back, we spent a couple of days up near the dam. Yesterday three of us caught stocker rainbows (released them all) on spoons. They are running a lot of water right now, but the 2 days I was there, early in the AM they weren't quite running as much and that was the best time to fish. When they were running the water at it's max, we found the trout in shallow backwater eddy areas, they would be thick in some of those spots.

A sauger! Wow, I did not know they were in TR. 22 inches is a respectable sauger.

Nice eye!

I heard on the news last night that they are going to start drawing Beaver down on Thursday. Checking the graph, it looks like it's on it's way down now. I would think that with this hot, dry weather and the increased demand for power generation to run all those air conditioners, you would think they would want to just draw enough water to run the generators, and keep some in reserve just in case the hot dry spell runs all summer. But I guess the Corps has reasons for what they do.

Soory to hear about that hook, that's the worst thing is getting a hook in you with a fish still on the lure. Good to hear the fish are still biting, I have not been out to Beaver in a cuople of weeks.

Nice! Those blue cats are tasty.

Thanks guys for the info, where is Blue Springs, downstream or upstream from Houseman?

Nice fish! I may have to haul the boat to Houseman this week and run downriver. Where did you pick up the trout at? Did you find them upriver past Houseman or are they lower down?

You guys always assume the worst, can't you see the headphones he's wearing? He's just groovin' to some slow dance music, doing that Michael Jackson reverse walk thing. Next time you see him out there, give him a white glove..

Thanks for the report Bill. Nice to see some quality jaws being caught!

Nice bunch of fish!

Caught about 20 today, 10 were dinks, but about 10 in the 12-15" range. Mostly on jigs, but a few on topwaters.

You guys are cracking me up!

Had a good day fishing jigs around cover, 15 fish total, no monsters, biggest was 17", the rest were in the 12-15" range.

A couple of weeks ago they were in some of the coves in the dam area on top early, but I have not been back there since then. Might try it later this week if there's a calm morning.

Thanks for the warning, I have an E7 that I picked up about a month ago, so far no probs, but it obviously bears watching.

My beans are now starting to bloom, I'm trying the purple variety this year. Planted several Patio tomatoe plants in containers, plants are doing well, and some small green tomatoes are starting to show. Got some crooked neck squash plants that are getting some of that gray mildew or whatever it is on the leaves. Don't know what to do about that. Cantaloupe is slow this year, but maybe with this hot weather they will take off.

Personally I think the next record will from the Columbia river. What's not mentioned in that article is that they used to stock rainbow trout in Greers, which fed the big walleye, no more rainbows in Greers, plus the added pressure and the huge walleyes are gone, probably for good.

Excellent! Looks like a lot of fun, nothing beats catching bass on topwaters.

Crappie are always welcome in my frying pan Here's a link to the walleye management plan for ADFG. It's somewhat out of date (2003), but it has some interesting historical stuff about walleye. In the appendix there's a cost breakdown on walleye rearing at the hatchery. It's very inexpensive, especially when you compare it to the cost of raising trout. http://www.agfc.com/pdfs/fisheries/mgmtplans/walleye_saugeye_plan.pdf

There are paddlefish in Beaver, I remember a few years ago the state record, 105 lbs I believe it weighed, was caught in Beaver. Accidentally snagged by a guy fishing for stripers. I think you're right about the alligator gar and sturgeon being gone. As far as the walleye, I see walleye as being a "catch and keep" fish rather than a catch and release fish like bass. And if the state is going to keep stocking them then they might as well lower the slot to something more reasonable. They gotta raise something in those hatcheries, right?

I caught 3 walleye Tuesday on plastics while bass fishing, none were keepers. I'm with JEB, they need to lower the slot to 15 or 16 inches. If you get the Benton County newspaper there's a walleye story in today's outdoor section, guys were bass fishing and caught several walleye including keepers. The article also mentions that 100,000 walleye fingerlings were released in Beaver last month by the state.

That's funny, I am thankful I can fish during the week now, the weekends, especially 3 day weekends, are crazy out on the water. Glad to hear you got a good mess of fish.